Monday, April 17, 2006

BBAC: UNEXPECTED DRAWINGS

A show to check out at the bbac, yes another good show buried in the back gallery space, is called Unexpected Drawings. The show is curated by Stanley Rosenthal - who has his MFA from wayne state and is the graduate officer for the department of art and art history and a professor of printmaking at Wayne State. The show runs till may 5th so there is still time to check out the works. I took a strong liking to one drawing so I might seem a little over zealous about the show, which otherwise is a good show...with the typical strong pieces filled with a few mediocre pieces which is understandable with a show that is mixing teachers, ex-grads, and students of wayne.

The below etchings are by Dennis...a super great teacher who used to teach with Jim Poole at CCS's print department but when the school decided to re-design the fine arts program that meant changing the print making major so out went the print teachers that had been there for many, many, many years. A huge blow/loss to the department at the time. Now Dennis has found a new home at wayne. I spoke with the curator, Stanley - printmaking faculty, who gives much deserved praise to Dennis.

below marilyn schecter

below john hegarty

below nate kuznia - I enjoyed these drawings/paintings

pamela delaura below - these small detailed drawings on cut up tree stumps where hit and miss with me. I liked some but others felt a little too crafty or too contrived.

OK, this is the piece that I loved and I think elevates the show. Kevin Ewing - tracing paper drawing (below). At first the drawing seems like a sketched abstraction but the closer you study the piece the more appalled you become. Yes, butts are passing gas and nipples spewing liquid among other broken up and severed body parts. I seem to notice that I am developing an art taste that tends to favor well executed, humorous, slightly twisted or slanted taste with a little bit of abstract expressionism.

And I had to throw in a couple de kooning comparisons ( this de kooning is an early piece around the Excavation painting time)...I mean come on...this is a pretty good relation right?

and...here is a late de kooning comparison! I talked with kevin later and he revealed that his three major influences are Rubens, Philip Guston and De Kooning. Not a bad eye, I guess!

As I was leaving I saw this this awesome bumper sticker! I haven't been successful yet in finding this sticker online but if anyone knows where to find one let me know!

ah, i was going to add sue to the list, along with carroll dunham (who was totally influenced by guston).

about sue:Sue Williams’ paintings investigate the line between abstraction and representation by presenting body parts so distorted that they metamorphose into abstract compositions. Using the human body as a tool to discuss complex issues of gender roles and relations, she explores the subject of the body as art along with other artists of the 1990’s such as Kiki Smith and Matthew Barney. Williams begins with the figure, then proceeds to twist, bend, and contort the body until it resembles an exaggerated caricature. The image is so warped that the viewer cannot determine which area one is looking at.

Williams’s previous work from the early 1990’s addressed issues of domestic violence, misogyny, and sexual abuse. Her paintings had a comic book style that featured cartoon-like figures in painful, disturbing situations accompanied by intense and witty text. The paintings were cast in black and white and crudely organized in relation to the narrative. These caustic commentaries on the state of gender relations resembled stream of consciousness doodles from a sketchbook or journal.

In the mid-1990’s, Williams began to use less and less text while her brushstrokes and lines became more gestural and colorful. As the artist describes, "I wanted to push things, to be a painter and jump into the realm of mainstream art..." Often assembling an orgy-like gathering of bodies and dismembered parts, Williams still addressed the painful self-deceptions regarding gender roles inherent in our culture.

Her canvases have featured sagging, pendulous body parts in obsessive, crowded compositions. Her web-like compositional field and sweeping abstract gestures have tempted some to compare her work with Abstract Expressionist artists such as de Kooning, Pollock, or Arshile Gorky. Williams claims such connections are coincidental, however, her subconscious-inspired, stream of conscious working method is inherently similar.

for those who don't get to the forum, the Saatchi Gallery in London wants you to post your work on its site. Very prestigious!

YOUR SAATCHI GALLERY... is being prepared:

All artists are invited to post their work on the Saatchi Gallery website which receives thousands of visitors every day. Until the site is finalised, send your work to the email below.

You can tell visitors about your art training and education, and any exhibitions you have participated in.

You can include any writing by yourself or others about your art, and talk about influences and other artists you admire, you may include a photo of yourself.

You are welcome to update your site as often as you wish. You can include a link to your own website as well as your email address so site visitors can make contact.

Send your work to :

Email: kieran@saatchigallery.com

Along with:

Your name; JPEG image/photo of yourself (optional); A short profile of yourself (limit 200 words); Samples of your work as JPEG’s with title, medium, year and dimensions. You can also provide a description for each piece of work (limit 200 words each); Your education and any art training, plus any exhibits you have participated in (limit 200 words); Future shows (limit 200 words); Link to your website (optional); Contact e-mail (optional)